Who is the no. 3 officer in the military services? It's not a simple answer. The lack of 18-year-olds to serve and our country’s towering fiscal deficits will endanger our national security in the near term. By John Ferrari
7 months ago Gen. Eric Smith took on the role Friday morning in a small ceremony at the Pentagon. Hundreds of military members and their families have been affected by Sen. Tommy Tuberville's blockage of normally routine military confirmations. Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Troy Black was succeeded by Sgt. Maj. Carlos Ruiz during a ceremony at Marine Cops Barracks Washington Thursday. Once a young man from rural Maryland, who didn’t meet a Marine until college, retired Gen. David Berger joined the Corps in the wake of the Vietnam War. Gen. Eric Smith and his wife won’t be moving their boxes into the "Home of the Commandants" quite yet, but he will have powers of a confirmed top Marine. Gen. David Berger relinquishes command on July 10, after four years of reforms that will shape the Marine Corps for years to come. Will he write a book? "I haven’t given it any thought," Gen. David Berger said. The joint force's speed of modernization and shared common goal are lacking, the top Marine says. Load More